My Top 5 Places to Visit in London

One of my favourite places in the world is London. London has some of the greatest museums and historic buildings in the world. Any tourist with an interest in history will have a choice of hundreds of attractions to spend time at.

Royal Observatory, Greenwich

The Royal Observatory is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. The Observatory commissioned by King Charles II in 1675 and is the official starting point for each new day. It is where you will find the Prime Meridian line which divides the eastern and western hemisphere. Visitors to the Observatory can stand in both hemispheres simultaneously by placing their feet either side of the Prime Meridian. Within the building, visitors will be able to see all four of clockmaker John Harrison's timekeepers in full working order. These clocks were the modern-day equivalent to GPS. They helped to give mariners the ability to know where they were on the globe when out to sea on journeys of exploration.

The World Heritage Greenwich site around the Observatory was the host of the equestrian events during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Credit: Jason Merlino

Tower of London

The Tower of London is an iconic building. It has seen service as a royal palace, prison, armoury and a zoo. It was constructed over 900 years ago by William the Conqueror. This fortress has been extended many times by various Kings and Queens. It is a grand structure used by Royals through many years as a refuge and base of power.

The Tower is still home to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II's Crown Jewels which are on display for visitors to see. Visitors to the Tower can join a guided tour from one of the guards at the Tower called Yeoman Warders. Sometimes called the Beefeaters, they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British Crown Jewels. As there has not been any prisoner at the tower since 1941, in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right.

The White Tower is the stone building in the centre of the site. It currently holds a display of arms and armour. This huge collection of armour created for both the battle and sports fields includes armour made and worn by King Henry VIII and Charles 1st. The Tower of London is one of the city's premier attractions particularly with its location being so close to central London.

Lords Cricket ground

A tour of Lord's Cricket Ground for any cricket enthusiast is a fascinating day out. You will see areas generally not available to the public including the 1890's built Members pavilion. The tour of Lord's starts within the grounds in the MCC Museum which houses more than 400 years of cricketing history including the Wisden Trophy and the original Ashes urn. There are also bats, balls and kit from some of the greats of the game such as W.G. Grace, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Victor Trumper, Jack Hobbs and Sir Don Bradman.

The tours run daily all year round and last 1 hour 40 minutes.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace would have to be one of the most recognisable buildings in the city. During the summer months the palace state rooms are opened for tourists to wander through. The visiting months are limited to when the Queen and Royal family are away. The tour can take 2 hours or longer winding through about 16 state rooms including the Grand Ball room. You will see amazing works of art, priceless pieces of furniture and some fantastic history from the Palace up close and personal.

British Museum

The British Museum was established in 1753. It houses some of the worlds most well-known works of art and sculpture including sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens, the Sutton House and Mildenhall treasures, Portland Vase and the Rosetta Stone. The British Museum showcases paintings and drawings created by famous artists from around the world. There are a variety of self guided audio tours as well as guided tours of the main gallery every day. The collection at the British Museum is so vast, one day spent at the museum would not be enough particularly visitors with a keen interest in history. Entry to the Museum is free.